HarthorneWingo wrote:I agree. The nature of the sport changes things. Definitely.
So, what's going on tomorrow night? Anything?
We've got a UFC PPV, but it's got so much mid on it that I wonder if the UFC wanted to hide Strickland and Du Plessis' cringefest. If you haven't seen the oddball press conference moments, it's been an experience
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Anyway, the headline is your boy Sean Strickland against Dricus Du Plessis and that's actually a really intriguing fight, and the opener is almost makes up for the rest of the card's lightwork. Some quick stuff on the fights:
The big one:Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis: Two of my least favorite personalities are also two of the most talented middleweights on the planet, in one of the strangest style clashes I can think of.
Everyone's kinda woken up to Sean Strickland at this point. He's got really disciplined boxing despite low hands, and his takedown defense is great. He's recently sitting down on punches more effectively which added power to his volume game. Dricus is also a volume striker with power, but he's more mobile and sloppy. I think of him like a disciplined brawler who throws ugly stuff but with a plan. He's also low-key really good at grappling, with an impressive array of chokes that he can apply (he has more submission wins than KO's).
Generally speaking, the styles play into Strickland's hands. Dricus wastes a lot more energy, and Sean's style is perfect for punishing looping strikes. But Strickland's manic behavior has me nervous enough not to bet. He cried on the Theo Von podcast, of all places, cursed out a journalist, and had some really awkward face-to-face moments with Dricus. The title comes with a lot of pressure, and I want to see him keep it together before I trust him...he is my pick though, and if he loses, i think it'll be from getting too reckless and losing his typical discipline. I could picture him losing to a choke out of a scramble.
Co-main event is a smoke breakRaquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva: With the bantamweight title vacant, these two are fighting to compete for the belt. But that kinda shows how weak the division is. Pennington is a jack-of-all-trades master of none, who's no stranger to boring point-fights. Bueno Silva has decent submissions and pop, but nothing eye-opening.
It's a bit of a coin toss because Pennington is a very up-and-down fighter. Sometimes she's really sharp and looks untouchable. Other times, she's tight and gets picked apart. I'd go Pennington by decision, but it's a toss-up.
Neil Magny vs Mike Mallott: Neil Magny's been around so long, he went from being a "new age" prospect to a "grizzled journeyman" before our eyes. He's got good everything, particularly top control on the mat. But he's never made the leap to contention. Mallott is new age Team Alpha Male, and has looked fantastic in his first few fights...against very weak competition.
So this fight tells us if Mallott's the real deal, and I don't really know. I'm rooting for Mallott, only because it makes things more interesting.
The real main and co-main event:Chris Curtis vs Marc Andre-Barriault: This is one of the FotN contenders. Marc Andre has always had a bit of a "kill or be killed" style with impressive striking to back it up. Chris Curtis is a Sean Strickland clone that keeps getting robbed in decisions. Both guys strike, they hate going backwards, Curtis is sharp and Marc Andre's explosive.
I lean toward Curtis winning this, but it should be a hell of a scrap.
Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evoloev: This is the other FotN contender. Arnold Allen is REALLY GOOD. He went 9-0 in the UFC before running into a Max Holloway beating. He's got fast, powerful hands and good grappling backed by strong scrambling. Ditto all that stuff for Evoloev, with less power but better grappling. Evoloev is 17-0, with a sustained M1 title reign before he made the UFC.
These guys are both a step away from the top of the class aka Volk/Topuria/Holloway. I stan Arnold Allen, so I'm biased.
Prelim Bangers:The free portion is surprisingly good. The names aren't big but the fights should be SCRAPS!
- Brad Katona's the only guy to win TUF twice. His opponent, I don't know well enough to comment. Which typically means bet on the guy UFC wants to push for winning TUF.
- Charles Jourdain and Sean Woodson aren't top-tier prospects or anything. But they're really good and VERY entertaining. They show up to scrap, and generally aim to inflict damage rather than just score points. I like Woodson in this one.
- Gillian Robertson has the most submissions in UFC Women's history. She even beat peak Rose Namajunas in a strictly grappling match. She's fighting Polyana Viana whose famous for beating up a guy that tried to rob her with a fake gun and making him sit on the curb until police arrived. Both women have been middling UFC fighters, but that should make for a competitive fight. If you pick Robertson, she pretty much ONLY wins by submission.